The Essential Vocabulary For Achieving a B2 to C2 level of Proficiency in English.

When it comes to learning a foreign language such as English, many students spend hours working through textbooks, doing grammar exercises, and perhaps even watching the occasional movie or TV series in their second language. 

However, many people don’t realize that working on vocabulary is just as important, if not more important when it comes to success in learning a foreign language. 

Vocabulary is the foundation of language

Basically, vocabulary is important because it’s the basis of all language. It’s the raw building blocks that we can use to express our thoughts and ideas, share information, understand others and grow personal relationships. 

Even if we barely know a language and have zero understanding of grammar, we can still communicate. When you have a wider vocabulary in your target language it also helps support all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

A larger vocabulary is the proven route to language fluency

If you look at the diagram below, you will see that it is obvious that the more vocabulary that you know, the easier it will become to improve your language skills and overall level of proficiency.

To begin with, this knowledge will allow you to access a wider range of learning materials designed for both native and non-native speakers.

It will also help you to understand individual words from their context, naturally expanding your vocabulary and improving your language skills without needing to spend time looking the words up in a dictionary or asking someone for an explanation.

On top of that, the more vocabulary words you understand, the more you’ll be able to decipher the meaning of new words by breaking them down into their smaller parts.

A good example of this is the word, ‘unwarranted. If we break down this word, we have [un-] and [warranted]. If we know that the prefix [un] has a negative meaning then we can work out the meaning of the word itself. 

All of this saves a significant amount of time, boosts the language student’s confidence, and also helps support fluency. They feel able to tackle more complex texts or social situations, which exposes them to an even wider range of vocabulary and allows them to further their knowledge of the second language. 

There is no doubt that without a strong foundational knowledge of vocabulary, this can’t happen.

Below is a list of 200 words and their meaning considered essential for your B2 to C2 learning journey.

Words	Definition
Aberration	Deviation from normal/expected
Enervate	Sap energy from
Venality	Susceptibility to bribes/corruption
Betray	to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally
Censure	to express strong disapproval
Wanting	lacking
Extant	still in existence (usually refers to documents)
Maintain	to assert
Profligate	spending resources recklessly or wastefully
Involved	complicated, and difficult to comprehend
Ingenuous	to be naïve and innocent
Auspicious	favorable, the opposite of sinister
Ambivalent	mixed or conflicting emotions about something
Amorphous	shapeless
Demur	to object or show reluctance
Impertinent	being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold
Prodigal	rashly or wastefully extravagant
Equivocal	confusing or ambiguous
Intimate	to suggest something subtly
Belie	to give a false representation to; misrepresent
Galvanize	to excite or inspire (someone) to action
Veracious	truthful
Restive	restless
Calumny	making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation
Egregious	standing out in a negative way; shockingly bad
Iconoclast	somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
Castigate	to reprimand harshly
Vindicate	to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof
Ambiguous	Open to more than one interpretation, not clear
Parochial	narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
Disinterested	unbiased; neutral
Mercurial	prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood
Artful	Cunning/exhibiting artistic skill
Gregarious	willingness to socialize
Laconic	using very few words
Qualify	to make less severe; to limit (a statement)
Upbraid	to reproach; to scold
Anomalous	not normal
Prevaricate	to speak in an evasive way
Venerate	to respect deeply
Acrimony	bitterness and ill will
Frugal	not spending much money (but spending wisely)
Harangue	a long pompous speech; a tirade
Amenable	easily persuaded
Undermine	to weaken
Amalgam	a mixture of multiple things
Parsimonious	extremely frugal; miserly
Commensurate	to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount
Innocuous	harmless and doesn’t produce any ill effects
Chastise	to reprimand harshly
Audacious	willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks
Torpor	inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy
Dogmatic	not accepting that one’s own beliefs may not be correct
Gall	being rude and impertinent, feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
Cryptic	mysterious or vague, usually intentionally
Rustic	characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial
Didactic	instructive (especially excessively)
Platitude	a trite or obvious remark
Vociferous	conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
Banal	repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
Recondite	difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
Concede	acknowledge defeat, admit, give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another
Meticulous	marked by extreme care in treatment of details
Dictatorial	expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler
Entrenched	fixed firmly or securely
Conspicuous	without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
Deferential	showing respect
Exacerbate	make worse
Fortuitous	occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause
Perfidy	deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust
Decorous	characterized by good taste in manners and conduct
Obscure	make unclear, not known by many
Frivolous	not serious in content or attitude or behavior
Querulous	habitually complaining
Incisive	having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
Superfluous	more than is needed, desired, or required; serving no useful purpose
Aesthete	one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature
Engender	give rise to
Gossamer	characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy
Aesthetic	concerned with the appreciation of beauty, set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.
Predilection	a strong liking
Inexorable	impossible to stop or prevent; stubborn
Eschew	Avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Mawkish	overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting
Lambast	criticize severely or angrily
Diffident	modest reserve; lacking self-confidence
Prescience	the power to foresee the future
Glut	an excessive supply; supply with an excess of
Reticent	disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts
Bucolic	relating to the pleasant aspects of the country
Apathetic	marked by a lack of interest
Germane	relevant and appropriate
Preclude	keep from happening or arising; make impossible
Culminate	reach the highest or most decisive point
Impudent	improperly forward or bold
Gainsay	deny or contradict; speak against or oppose
Volubility	the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously
Culpability	a state of guilt, responsibility
Mitigate	make less severe or harsh
Chortle	to chuckle, laugh merrily, often in a breathy, muffled way
Treacherous	tending to betray; dangerously unstable and unpredictable
Precocious	exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)
Supplant	take the place or move into the position of
Rudimentary	earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles
Frustrate	hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
Disaffected	discontented as toward authority
Guileless	free of deceit
Heretic	person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)
Subsume	contain or include; consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle
Insidious	working in a subtle but destructive way
Vilify	spread negative information about
Panache	distinctive and showy elegance
Derivative	not original but drawing strongly on something already in existence, especially in reference to a creative product (e.g. music, writing, poetry etc.)
Immutable	not able to be changed
Avaricious	excessively greedy
Haughty	having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
Quotidian	found in the ordinary course of events
Refractory	stubbornly resistant to authority or control
Jingoism	fanatical patriotism
Unequivocal	admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion
Spurious	plausible but false
Eclectic	comprised of a variety of styles
Fallacious	of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning
Ephemeral	lasting a very short time
Staunch	firm and dependable especially in loyalty
Derive	come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example; reason by deduction; establish by deduction
Elucidate	make clearer and easier to understand
Denote	be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning
Languid	not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed
Travesty	an absurd presentation of something; a mockery
Apathy	an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
Tantamount	being essentially equal to something
Abstain	choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable)
Mollify	to make someone angry less angry; placate
Magnanimous	noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful
Itinerant	traveling from place to place to work
Tenacious	stubbornly unyielding
Juxtapose	place side by side for contrast
Vehement	marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
Jubilant	full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success
Ascetic	practicing self-denial; one who practices great self-denial
Contrive	to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery
Belligerent	characteristic of one eager to fight
Forlorn	marked by or showing hopelessness
Circumvent	cleverly find a way out of one’s duties or obligations
Eminent	standing above others in quality or position
Ameliorate	make something bad better
Incongruous	lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
Negligible	so small as to be meaningless; insignificant
Delineate	describe in detail
Aberrant	markedly different from an accepted norm
Soporific	inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing
Ignoble	dishonorable
Blatant	without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
Acerbic	harsh in tone
Exacting	requiring and demanding accuracy
Reconcile	make (one thing) compatible with (another)
Contingent	dependent on (usually used with upon); a gathering of persons representative of some larger group
Construe	interpreted in a particular way
Provincial	characteristic of a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated
Iconoclastic	defying tradition or convention
Apocryphal	being of questionable authenticity
Intransigent	unwilling to change one’s beliefs or course of action
Hackneyed	lacking significance through having been overused
Forthcoming	available when required or as promised; at ease in talking to others
Expound	add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth
Implausible	describing a statement that is not believable
Pedantic	marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects
Petulant	easily irritated or annoyed
Pragmatic	guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory
Temperance	the trait of avoiding excesses
Largess	extreme generosity and giving
Espouse	to adopt or support an idea or cause
Bumbling	lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands
Implacable	incapable of making less angry or hostile
Pundit	someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field
Idiosyncrasy	a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
Tortuous	marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward
Underscore	give extra weight to (a communication)
Abstruse	difficult to understand; incomprehensible
Ostentatious	intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar
Decorum	propriety in manners and conduct
Laudable	worthy of high praise
Copious	in abundant supply
Opaque	not clearly understood or expressed
Discrete	constituting a separate entity or part
Refute	prove to be false or incorrect
Confound	To cause confusion; mistake one thing for another
Exalt	praise or glorify
Unscrupulous	without scruples or principles
Burgeon	grow and flourish
Incorrigible	impervious to correction by punishment
Ingratiate	gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
Denigrate	charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
Eradicate	to completely destroy
Exonerate	pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
Myopic	lacking foresight or imagination
Indifference	the trait of seeming not to care
Adamant	refusing to change one’s mind
Admonitory	serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective